California’s Top O’ The Morn Farms Takes First Place for Milk at National Dairy Competition

TULARE, CALIF. -- Top O’ The Morn Farms, Inc., a farm-fresh bottled milk home delivery company located in Tulare, Calif., recently received two prestigious awards at the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest in Madison, Wis.

Top O’ The Morn Farms took first place with Reduced Fat White Milk in the Open Class Pasteurized Milk category and third place in the Low-fat Chocolate Milk category with Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk.

The company was started by Ron and Evie Locke in October 2012 as a glass-bottle home delivery milk business in the heart of California’s dairy country and now delivers fresh milk and other dairy products in six cities.

"Our family has always taken pride in the milk our cows produce and the way we treat our animals," said Ron Locke, CEO of Top O’ The Morn Farms. "Now that we are processing and marketing our own milk, it is an honor to receive this recognition. To do so against products from throughout North America makes us especially proud. It really validates that our efforts have created a high quality and great tasting product."

Judging was held Aug. 13-14 at the Madison Area Technical College (MATC) Culinary School and Aug. 15 at UW- Madison’s Babcock Hall. No other contest includes all dairy products.

Top O’ The Morn Farms beginnings start with Evie’s father, Fred De Boer, who was born in Friesland, Holland. In 1962, Fred and his wife Jennie, bought Top O’ The Morn Farms, in Southern California, and were quick to learn about the milk home delivery business. In 2000, Evie, their youngest daughter, decided she wanted to re-establish the Top O’ The Morn Farms name. By 2004, she and husband, Ron, were in the dairy business in Tulare. Backed by consumer research focusing on the growing interest in local and farm fresh foods, Ron pitched the family on the idea of bringing back the "cash and carry" business. Today Top O’ The Morn Farms delivers award-winning milk to doorsteps.

Top O’ The Morn Farms bottles its milk in half-gallon and quart glass bottles. Available milk varieties include white (2%, skim and whole), 2% Chocolate Milk, 2% Strawberry Milk, 2% Root Beer Milk, Half and Half, Heavy Cream and seasonal Eggnog. The Lockes have also opened two drive-thru locations in Tulare at 1421 E. Prosperity Avenue and Visalia at 1103 W. Caldwell Avenue. You can also find their products at four Farmers Markets during the week.